I Said Yes to the Dress!

Well…where to begin. I had quite the day on Monday and ended up saying yes to the dress!

After putting off wedding dress shopping for months and months due to nerves I finally worked up the courage to book an appointment. I was not planning on actually buying a dress at all. Rather just try some on and see which styles I liked and didn’t like etc. I booked the appointment a month in advance and managed to lose 10 pounds within that month which I was really happy about as my weight was the biggest reason why I was so nervous about trying dresses on.

The Beginning of the Appointment

I brought along my mother and two bridesmaids for support and opinions. When we arrived at Eleanor Florence we were greeted by the owner of the store along with another employee. They asked me if I had anything in mind that I wanted and all I said was ‘definitely not mermaid!’ Then, after filling out some paperwork, it was time to start pulling dresses.

It was such a surreal experience. I’ve watched Say Yes To The Dress countless times but when it came to actually finding and pulling dresses out that I liked it was pretty overwhelming. It’s very easy to get lost in it all and panic, forgetting what I like and dislike. I think we picked about 5 dresses in total to try on and were then led to the changing area!

While my mother and two bridesmaids sat and relaxed I was ushered into the changing room where I had to awkwardly undress. Thankfully the owner made it as comfortable as possible and just talked me through everything. I was extremely nervous with it being the very first time I’d done anything like this, which she obviously picked up on. She was a really lovely lady though and made sure I was happy and calm the whole time.

Feeling like a Princess

Honestly, trying on that very first dress was one of the strangest feelings I’d ever experienced. I felt like a little girl playing dress-up. It was just such a grown-up thing to do!

The first dress I tried was one I’d seen in the window months ago and loved. I thought it looked amazing on and it fit perfectly which I was relieved about. I’m mid-sized and was convinced nothing was going to look good on me. This dress completely skated over my podge and I felt super comfortable in it. I was already convinced this was the one!

When I went out to show everyone they all really liked it too. There were just a few, easy adjustments to make for it to be perfect but it was definitely a top contender. I tried on a few other dresses, none of which lived up the first one.

Then the unexpected happened. I tried on another dress and, even though I was sure I wanted the first one, felt like a total princess. It was beautiful. When I went out to show people the first one had been completely forgotten about. We had taken pictures along the way and when we compared this dress to the first one there was no competition. This was my dress.

It was elegant, classy, bridal and there was just something so special about it. Again it fit perfectly, giving me a completely flat stomach and accentuating my curves. With a few added extras it was perfect. We were all admiring it for such a long time! I really want to go into more detail or insert a picture of it here but just in case Jaz happens to read this post I’d better not haha. You will all get to see it next October!

Making a Decision

I didn’t buy the dress there and then. It was too pressured to make such a big decision and, as I said earlier, I really wasn’t expecting to come away from this having found the perfect dress. So we took more pictures and then all headed over to Cafe Nero to discuss. I was still torn between the two just because I’d had the first dress in my mind for so long. Also, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue trying on dresses in other shops. I’d only been to this one place and had only tried on a handful! I was expecting it to take me a lot longer than it did to find something.

As more and more time passed, and as I kept going back to look at the photos all the doubts slowly disappeared. I had a quick look online at another bridal shop I had considered visiting but none of the dresses stood out to me. There was only one dress in my mind. I honestly couldn’t see myself wearing or loving another dress as much as I did this one. My big decision was made so we headed back to Eleanor Florence.

My mother, who is paying for the dress which I am very grateful for, put down the deposit, we signed a bunch of paperwork and that was it. The dress was mine! The owner took all of my measurements and told me that the dress will be made and ready within 4 months. So, in January I get to go back and try it on once it gets delivered to the store to make sure everything about it is perfect. Then 3 months before the wedding I go back for the final fitting and alterations.

The Most Amazing Day

The day started with me feeling so nervous and panicky and ended in the most amazing way possible. I found a beautiful dress that I’m obsessed with, had a great time with everyone and just felt so happy. I’m so excited to try on the dress again and until then I will be constantly looking at the photos on my phone.

I just want to say a big thank you to the ladies who helped me at Eleanor Florence! They were really lovely, friendly, honest and patient and made the day that extra bit special. If you’re looking for wedding dresses around the Somerset area I’d definitely recommend them for a fun, relaxed experience and a fantastic selection of stunning dresses!

If you’ve shopped for wedding dresses before let me know in the comments how it went! I hope you all enjoyed this post. If you did then don’t forget to subscribe to my blog. You can also follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest too. Thanks for reading!